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A middle daughter wooed by a wife killer.

An unusually tall princess who marries a monster.

A misanthropic duke cursed to a loveless life.

 

Resourceful maidens, dangerous beasts and misunderstood men rewrite the rules of love, marriage and family in this small anthology of fairy tales written by a mother and daughter.

Available Now on Amazon

Upcoming
UPCOMING
SWIFT FOX ENTERTAINMENT presents...
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 15 

   a documentary

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Fifteen friends share what it's like to be 15 years old during a global pandemic.

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ABOUT
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Greetings, and welcome. I am a writer, filmmaker and professor, along with a few other things, like animal nut, mother of teenage daughters, and aspiring Husky trainer (more on that shortly).

I grew up on a farm in Suffolk County, Long Island among many siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, horses, ponies, cats, dogs, chickens, gerbils, turtles... well, you get the idea. As the baby of the family I sometimes got left behind, but managed to rack up some important accomplishments anyway, such as learning how to drive a Volkswagen at age 9 and piloting it to the nearby 7-11 with my friend Patty to buy cigarettes.

 

I also read fairy tales... as many as I could get ahold of. I still have the worn, dog-eared anthologies full of exquisite illustrations I had as a little girl. Those tales taught me how to dream.

 

Eventually I went off into the world to seek my fortune, and more importantly, a boyfriend. Highlights include living in France for a year at age 16, attending Yale, studying at Oxford, traveling to Egypt, Russia, Poland, Czechoslovakia, East and West Germany, Corsica and Italy, and falling for a cute Australian guy in Tel Aviv. When I returned stateside I landed in North Carolina, where I was lucky enough to be hired as a production secretary at Dino De Laurentiis's newly-built film studio in Wilmington. From there I went on to work for many Hollywood legends. A very wonderful woman producer of a very important English director advised me to go to film school as an efficient way to learn filmmaking and possibly make something of myself. I took her advice, at least about the film school part. You can see my Student Emmy-winning film here.

 

After graduating from USC's film school with an advanced degree in Production, I worked steadily as a writer-producer and occasional director in film and television for the next 25+ years. I also began teaching screenwriting--again, at USC--a job that keeps me continuously challenged and always inspired.

 

I'm married and have two fascinating teenage daughters, two middle-aged cats, and a bossy young Husky who's managed to train me. And no matter how much we vacuum, there are always dust bunnies. 

FILM + TV

I have scripted and produced narrative and nonfiction film and television professionally for over 25 years. My optioned and/or produced screenplays include Mating Games (Trillion Entertainment), Gunplay (Social Breakdown Films) and The Fallback Guy (George Kaczender Films). I co-directed and wrote the feature documentary American Rider produced by former Universal Pictures President Thom Mount and Live Entertainment, featuring Keanu Reeves, Joe Pesci and Peter Fonda.

 

In television, I have written and produced over 25 reality and nonfiction series, pilots and specials that have aired on NBC, CBS, HBO, MSNBC, Discovery, History, Lifetime, WE, HGTV. In 2015 I was a staff writer on the comedy series My Crazy Ex, currently airing on Lifetime Movie Network. My short script “Small’s the Next Big Thing” won Best Short Comedy Screenplay for Slamdance in 2014.  

 

I love creating small personal pieces as much as large mainstream commercial projects. Below is a small selection of clips. For a complete list of screen and teleplays, or an up-to-date reel, please contact me.

"Bobbie's Story"

Life of NY Matriarch

"Keanu and his bike"

American Rider, Live Entertainment

 

"Karen Talley"

Lockup, MSNBC

Ep. 33: "Frisky Business"

My Crazy Ex, Lifetime Movie Network

"My Story"

WAVES member Louise Downer

"Fighting Fish"

Student Emmy in Comedy, ATAS

IN DEVELOPMENT

UNTITLED SUPERNATURAL THRILLER

Feature Script

Something's wrong with 16-year-old Felicity Rhodes, and it's more than her shrink can handle. As Felicity's mother struggles to get to the bottom of her daughter's illness, she must make a horrifying choice.

CLIMBING HUSBAND HILL

Feature Script

A naive but ambitious intern falls hard for a slick, in-your-face Hollywood agent during a work trip to Palm Springs, but her aging has-been male boss has other plans for her.

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OYSTER BAY

Original half-hour comedy pilot

An enterprising East Coast matriarch takes an Indian friend's advice to try the age-old practice of Arranged Marriages to marry off her three unhappy daughters in the era of Charles and Diana.

FILM + TV
Print + Web
PRINT + WEB

I have been a writer for over 25 years. My writing has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, LA ParentNewsday, Publisher's Weekly, the International Herald Tribune, and other places. Here is a small selection. For a complete list of articles and stories, please contact me.

And They Wed

KDP Publishing

 Love Among the Ruins

Medium

Photo by Friends of Big Bear Valley 2020

See Jane Run... to Jail

Medium

Photo by Kelley Sikkema on Unsplash

Our Love Affair is Based on Animal Magnetism

Los Angeles Times

Art by Alison George / For the Times

UPCOMING

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FIELD NOTES ON A FAMILY

This “faux memoir” captures a naive wife and mother’s blunt, unintentionally absurd account of managing her family’s life in Los Angeles with high hopes and a serious cash shortage.

TEACHING
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I have spent years over a decade learning and practicing the art of teaching students how to write. I usually begin by sharing my appreciation of other writers. Then, I encourage my students to listen to and believe in the innate power of their unique life experiences. Little by little, their voices emerge. And then we just get to it, trying all kinds of things until we figure out what produces the best results.

 

I am proud to be an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Screenwriting at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. I teach core curriculum BFA and MFA classes as well as electives. Over the years I have taught courses in Creating the Short Film, Writing the Feature Script, Advanced Feature Rewriting, and Writing the Relationship Screenplay. Prior to teaching at USC, I taught Writing for Film and Television at Loyola Marymount University, where I created courses for MFA Writing Students in Writing and Producing Reality and Nonfiction TV and Creating the Unscripted Series.

 

My current and former students win awards, screen at festivals, sell scripts and series, and get hired on a regular basis. I hope they will remember me kindly if I ever need a job.

TEACHING
PERFECT PASS CONSULTING
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PERFECT PASS SCRIPT SERVICES


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What they're saying about AND THEY WED:

Beautifully written, enchanting stories. Bravo to the writing duo- who knew fairytales could be page turners and so powerful! A delight to read!

VANESSA RACHMANINOFF,

Businesswoman & Mother

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